Before It Is Even Revealed, One Big Change is Likely For The Next Animal Crossing

April 26, 2024

Highlights

The next Animal Crossing game is expected to shake up the series’ travel options with a new method of transportation.
Speculation suggests that cars may be the main mode of travel in the rumored urban environment of the upcoming game.
Players may also see the return of trains or the introduction of bicycles and subways for travel within the city.

Although a new Animal Crossing game has yet to be officially announced, fan speculation surrounding the series’ future has begun to heat up as the release of Nintendo’s next console approaches. Animal Crossing: New Horizons advanced the series in many ways, iterating on staple features of the franchise to give players more customization freedom than any previous entry. The next Animal Crossing game is likely to further develop the series’ core concepts, including the series’ traversal options and the method of transportation players take to and from their towns.

The opening of each Animal Crossing game follows a similar formula that sees the player move to a new town ready to start their life among its animal villagers. While this iconic opening has varied slightly from game to game, it is a key element in establishing Animal Crossing‘s core concept of new beginnings and will likely be present in the next entry. However, one way this opening has changed between games is the method of transportation by which players arrive in their new town, meaning the next Animal Crossing game is already set to shake up the series’ travel options.

Rumors have begun swirling of a potential leak concerning a new Animal Crossing game in 2026, though Nintendo has yet to confirm or deny anything.

The Next Animal Crossing Will Likely Have a New Method of Travel

The original Animal Crossing for GameCube began with players arriving in their town on a train, while its sequel, Animal Crossing: Wild World for the Nintendo DS, opened with players arriving at their new town in a taxi. Animal Crossing: City Folk changed this sequence up further by having players arrive in town via a bus, which would also then transport players to the city whenever they wished to visit. Animal Crossing: New Leaf brought back the classic train as its transportation method, but Animal Crossing: New Horizons went in a completely different direction by flying players to and from their island on a plane flown by Dodo Airlines.

With the exception of New Leaf reusing the train motif from the original Animal Crossing, each method of transportation has been different between games. With the next Animal Crossing rumored to take players back to a city environment, there are a wide variety of transportation methods the game could feature. After New Horizons made traveling abroad a standard feature via Mystery Island Tours, it only makes sense that its sequel would utilize a convenient method of transportation to build upon this world-exploration mechanic.

Predicting How Players Will Travel in the Next Animal Crossing Game

An obvious choice for the next Animal Crossing to use as its main means of transportation is cars, given that it’s rumored to be set in an urban environment. Cars are not new to the Animal Crossing series, with players being able to use them as furniture but unable to actually drive them. Giving players the ability to drive their own car to travel to and from their town would be a huge change from what has been the standard in past entries, but it would certainly open the door for new gameplay options including a new Animal Crossing customizable system and greater player control over their ability to explore outside their town.

Another traversal method that makes sense in an urban setting could come from the series bringing back its train imagery and using a subway for transportation. Depending on the size of the next Animal Crossing‘s supposed city, a subway could take players to and from their town, as well as to different areas around the city itself. Aside from these vehicles, bicycles would be another great option for the next Animal Crossing to feature, as they would fit with the urban setting while maintaining the franchise’s cozy, rustic aesthetic that has become so popular among Animal Crossing fans.